CPP ripples: Hawkers' relocation near jewellery shops sparks rage

HYDERABAD: Jewellery merchants on Thursday, staged a four-hour protest outside their shops in Gulzar Houz, against GHMC's move to relocate hawkers to the area to enable the Charminar pedestrianisation programme. While no untoward incident was reported from the site, policemen and rapid action force personnel were deployed to maintain law and order.
On Wednesday, GHMC officials marked areas along the two sides of the pavement - running between the Shiva Temple near Charminar to Gulzar Houz - to facilitate hawkers, currently vacated from Charminar, to move their stalls to this designated place.The jewellery stores are located along this same route.
"Many customers will choose other areas over our shops, due to security reasons, if hawkers are relocated in front of our shops. Customers who use cash to purchase ornaments will particularly abandon us as they do not like crowded areas," said Ajay Kumar Agarwal one of the protesters, echoing the concern of several others like him. Traders said the move would push them into tremendous losses.
Armed with placards that decried the GHMC's "unlawful rules" and read "protest against street vendors", shop owners stressed that they were taxpayers and could not be inconvenienced by authorities. Merchants said relocating hawkers will also result in a severe space crunch.
Members of the Jewellers and Sarafa Association, Charminar also submitted a representation to the GHMC's deputy commissioner (Charminar) as well as police, to reiterate the same. In the representation they stated how around 500 workers dependent on the jewellery shops and if the footfall drops, it will also impact them. "Previously, we also aired our grievances to the zonal commissioner, Srinivas Reddy, but in vain. We are now planning to meet MAUD minster, KT Rama Rao," said one of the merchants.